Bone graft delivery system and method for using same

ABSTRACT

A bone graft delivery system can include an elongate tube, a handle having a trigger, and a tip. The trigger is actuated to deliver bone graft material through the tube. The tip has one or more openings to deliver the bone graft material to a desired location and includes a surface suitable to act as a rasp for decorticating bone. A method for delivering bone graft material to a desired surgical location includes providing a bone graft delivery device, positioning the device adjacent the surgical location, decorticating bone, and delivering bone graft material to the surgical location.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/611,718, filed Feb. 2, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/162,102, filed Jan. 23, 2014, which claimspriority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/798,513, filedMar. 15, 2013, the entirety of each of which is hereby incorporated byreference herein and should be considered a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND Field

The present application relates to orthopedic surgery in general, andmore particularly, to bone graft delivery systems and methods.

Description of the Related Art

In a bone grafting procedure, a surgeon places bone or a bone substituteinto an area in a patient's body to provide a type of scaffold for bonegrowth and repair. Bone grafts can be used to help treat variousorthopedic problems, for example, to fuse a joint or repair a fracture.Bone graft material can be, for example, autogenous (harvested from thepatient's own body), allogeneic (harvested from another person, usuallya cadaver), or synthetic. Many bone grafting procedures are performedvia open surgery implantation. However, these procedures can beperformed minimally invasively, for example, by using a needle to injectthe bone graft material into the target location without requiring asurgical incision.

In some cases decortication of the bony area receiving the graft isperformed prior to delivery of the bone graft material. Decorticationremoves superficial cortical bone and exposes the underlying cancellousbone, which can help accelerate the integration of the bone graft withthe native bone.

SUMMARY

The devices, systems, and methods described herein allow for minimallyinvasive delivery of bone graft material to a desired location in apatient's body. In some embodiments, the devices, systems, and methodsdescribed herein also provide for bone decortication.

In some embodiments, a bone graft delivery system includes an elongatetube, a handle at a proximal end of the tube configured to be actuatedto deliver bone graft material through the tube, and a tip at a distalend of the tube. The handle may include a trigger. The tip includes oneor more openings configured to deliver the bone graft material to adesired location and a surface suitable to serve as a rasp for scrapingbone.

In some embodiments, a method for delivering bone graft material to asurgical location includes providing a bone graft delivery devicecomprising an elongate tube and a distal tip having at least one openingfor delivering the bone graft material to the surgical location andpositioning the device adjacent the surgical location. The methodfurther includes decorticating bone with the distal tip and deliveringbone graft material through the tube and out the at least one opening ofthe tip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an example embodiment of a bone graftdelivery device;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the bone graft delivery deviceof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a handle of the bone graftdelivery device of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4A-4E are section views illustrating operation of a ratchetingmechanism in the handle of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate various views of a distal tip of the bone graftdelivery device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6A illustrates a perspective view of an example embodiment of abone graft delivery device;

FIG. 6B illustrates a perspective view of an example embodiment of abone graft delivery device;

FIG. 6C illustrates an enlarged view of a distal tip of the bone graftdelivery device of FIG. 6B;

FIG. 6D illustrates the distal tip of FIG. 6C extruding bone graftmaterial;

FIG. 7A illustrates a perspective view of an example embodiment of abone graft delivery device;

FIG. 7B illustrate the bone graft delivery device of FIG. 7A including ashaft having a distal burr disposed therethrough;

FIG. 7C illustrates an enlarged view of the distal end of the bone graftdelivery device of FIG. 7B; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a distal tip of an example embodiment of a bone graftdelivery device including an endoscope.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a bone graft delivery device 100 generallyincludes a handle 102 having a trigger 110 or other actuation mechanism,a tube 120 having a lumen therethrough, and a distal tip 130. In theillustrated embodiment, the bone graft delivery device 100 is similar toa caulking gun. The handle 102 can house a supply of the desired bonegraft material. The bone graft material can be pre-loaded in the handle102 or can be supplied to the handle via a cartridge that can beremovably coupled to the handle 102. In some embodiments, the device 100can further include a plunger 112 that is retracted proximally to allowthe handle to receive a cartridge or pre-loaded volume of bone graftmaterial.

In use, the trigger 110 is actuated to deliver bone graft materialthrough the tube 120 and distal tip 130 to a desired surgical location.In some embodiments, the plunger 112 is simultaneously pushed distallyto help deliver bone graft material through the tube 120. In someembodiments, the trigger 110 or other actuation mechanism is configuredto deliver a controlled release amount of bone graft material duringactuation of the device, for example, ½ cc of bone graft material percomplete squeeze of the trigger 110. The trigger 110 or other actuationmechanism may be operated manually or by mechanical, battery powered,electric, pneumatic, or any other means of force.

In some embodiments, a base of the handle 102 can include a funnel 104configured to receive the bone graft material, as shown in FIG. 3.Whereas some existing bone graft delivery devices are only compatiblewith certain, e.g., pre-packaged, bone graft materials, the funnel 104can be designed to advantageously allow the user to use any bone graftmaterial or combination of bone graft materials he or she wishes ordeems appropriate. For example, the user can use synthetic, autologous,stem cell, DMB, cadaveric, and/or any other available bone graftmaterial. The handle 102 can further include a channel 106 extendingtherethrough connecting and in fluid communication with the funnel 104and tube 120. The user can mix the desired bone graft material in thefunnel 104, then use the plunger 112 or other means to advance the bonegraft material through the channel 106 and into the tube 120 fordelivery.

In some embodiments, the handle 102 includes a ratcheting mechanism 108configured to advance bone graft material from the funnel 104 andchannel 106 through the tube 120 for delivery. As illustrated in FIGS.4A and 4B, extending the trigger 110 away from the handle 102, forexample to a position perpendicular to the handle 102, can place theratcheting mechanism 108 in a closed position that does not allowinterior access for the plunger 112 to allow for loading of the bonegraft material through the funnel 104 into the channel 106. Once thebone graft material has been loaded, the trigger 110 can be moved towardthe handle 102 to an intermediate position, as shown in FIG. 4C, to openthe channel 106 and allow the plunger 112 to be inserted into thechannel 106. An arm 109 of the ratcheting mechanism 108 engages one of aseries of notches 113 on the plunger 112. Movement of the trigger 110 toa final position closest the handle 102 causes the arm 109 of theratcheting mechanism 108 to move distally within the handle 102 (or awayfrom the funnel 104 and toward the tube 120), thereby advancing theplunger 112 distally within the channel 106 to force the bone graftmaterial distally within the channel 106 and/or tube 120, as shown inFIGS. 4D and 4E. The trigger 110 can be moved back to the intermediateposition to cause the ratcheting mechanism 108 to move proximally withinthe handle 102 (or toward the funnel 104) and the arm 109 to slideproximally along the plunger 112 to engage a more proximal notch 112.The trigger 110 can be moved between the intermediate position and finalposition multiple times until the arm 109 has reached the proximal endof the plunger 112.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tube 120 can include a permanent bend orcurve that may be useful in positioning the device 100 at a desiredlocation, for example, a space between two spinal discs. Alternatively,the tube 120 may be straight, for example, as shown in FIG. 6B, todeliver bone graft material directly into a desired location such as adisc space. In some embodiments, the tube 120 is somewhat flexible orrepositionable and can be manipulated to bend or curve the tube 120 asneeded to reach the desired location. In some embodiments, the tube 120is made of a rigid material, for example, a plastic, composite, ormetal, and is generally hollow to allow for the passage of bone graftmaterial through the tube 120.

As shown in FIGS. 5A-5C, a distal end of the tube 120 includes a tip130. The tip 130 can be integrally formed with or coupled, removably orpermanently, to the tube 120. In the illustrated embodiment, the tip 130is somewhat bullet-shaped with a generally triangular cross-section;however, other shapes and configurations are also possible. For example,the tip 130 can be generally flat as shown in the example embodiments ofFIGS. 6A-6D. In some embodiments, the tip 130 is pointed and/or sharp todissect or split muscle and tissue as it is advanced through thepatient's skin and body to the surgical location. Alternatively, the tip130 can be blunt to allow for displacement of muscle without risk ofcutting of nerves or other tissue. The tip has a single or multipleopenings 132 in fluid communication with the tube 120 lumen andconfigured to deliver the bone graft material 10 from the tube 120, asshown in FIG. 6D, to the desired location.

In some embodiments, at least one side or area of the tip 130 includes aseries of jagged edges or other suitable surface 134 configured to serveas a rasp for scraping bone. The rasp may be operated manually or bymechanical, battery powered, electric, pneumatic, or any other means offorce to allow for decortication of the area to receive the bone graftmaterial.

In some embodiments, the delivery device 100 includes a sleeve slidablyor telescopingly disposed over the tip 130. In some embodiments, thesleeve can extend to a proximal end of the tube 120 adjacent the handle102 so that a user can distally advance or proximally retract the sleeveby manipulating a proximal end of the sleeve. In other embodiments, thesleeve extends over only a portion of the tube 120 or over only the tip130 and the delivery device 100 includes an actuating mechanism thatallows the sleeve to be advanced and retracted. The sleeve can bedisposed over the tip 130 during insertion of the tip 130 to the targetarea to advantageously protect skin, tissue, and/or muscle along theinsertion path from damage or injury from the rasping surface 134 and toallow the tip 130 to pass through the skin, tissue, and/or muscle moreeasily. Once the tip is positioned in the target location, the sleevecan be proximally retracted to expose the rasping surface 134 fordecortication of the target area. After decortication and/or afterdelivery of the bone graft material, the sleeve can be distally advancedto cover the rasping surface 134 for withdrawal of the tip 130 from thebody.

In some embodiments, the distal end of the tube 120 does not include arasping tip 130 as shown in FIG. 7A. Instead, an elongate shaft 150having a burr 152 at a distal end can be inserted through the tube 120as needed or desired to decorticate a target area, for example as shownin FIGS. 7B and 7C. The use of a separate instrument for decorticationcan advantageously allow the user to select different burrs, rasps, orthe like for different patients, target areas, or situations. Theelongate shaft 150 and burr 152 can be operated manually. Alternatively,a proximal end of the shaft 150 can be coupled to a drill 154 or anotherdevice to provide decortication by mechanical, battery powered,electric, pneumatic, or any other means of force.

The tip 130 may be made of a metallic, radiopaque material to facilitatevisualization on, for example, fluoroscopy or x-ray. Alternatively, thetip 130 may be made of another material, for example a durable medicalplastic or a composite material, and may include markers to facilitatevisualization. In some embodiments, the bone graft delivery device 100can include an endoscope or endoscopic camera to allow for visualizationduring insertion of the tip 130 to the target area, decortication,and/or delivery of the graft material. As shown in FIG. 8, an endoscope140 can extend along the tube 120 and can be removably or permanentlycoupled to the tube 120.

In one embodiment, the device 100 described herein may be used inminimally invasive spinal surgery. For example, in a conventionalposterolateral spine procedure, screws and or fusion cages may bedelivered to adjacent vertebrae using small incisions made in apatient's back. It may additionally be desirable to deliver bone graftmaterial to the surgical location, e.g., to the transverse processes,disc spaces, or facet joints, through one of these small incisions. Thedevice described herein is sized to be delivered through a minimallyinvasive opening made in the patient's skin (e.g., through a skinincision of 4 cm or less), and configured so that the tip can bepositioned adjacent a pedicle screw or other desired location. Thecurvature of the tube 120 can facilitate positioning of the tip 130 atdesired spinal locations and allows, for example, insertion of thedevice 100 through an incision over one vertebra, and positioning of thetip 130 at an adjacent vertebra. Alternatively, the device can bedelivered through any desired opening made in the patient's skin (e.g.,minimally invasive or open). The jagged edges or other surface 134 onthe device can be used to decorticate desired bone locations, causingbleeding of the bone and creating a surface that promotes bone fusion.The trigger 110 or other actuation mechanism can then be actuated todeliver bone graft material through the tube 120 lumen and openings 132in the tip 130 to promote fusion of the bone.

Although use of the device 100 has been described with respect to anexample spinal procedure, the device 100 can also be used in otherspinal procedures and other orthopedic applications to deliver bonegraft material to other locations in the body (for example, the femur ortibia).

Various modifications to the implementations described in thisdisclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and thegeneric principles defined herein may be applied to otherimplementations without departing from the spirit or scope of thisdisclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to theimplementations shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. Certainembodiments of the invention are encompassed in the claim set listedbelow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for delivering bone graft material to asurgical location, comprising: providing a bone graft delivery devicecomprising an elongate tube; removably coupling a distal tip to the bonegraft delivery device, the distal tip having at least one opening fordelivering the bone graft material to the surgical location; positioningthe device adjacent the surgical location; decorticating bone with thedistal tip; and delivering bone graft material through the tube and outthe at least one opening of the tip.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe bone graft material comprises autogenous, cadaveric and/or syntheticmaterial.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bone graft deliverydevice is positioned at the surgical location through a minimallyinvasive opening in a patient's skin.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe bone graft delivery device is positioned adjacent the spine and thedistal tip decorticates a portion of the spine.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein decorticating bone with the distal tip comprises rasping bonewith jagged edges of the distal tip.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereindecorticating bone with the distal tip comprises actuating the distaltip by mechanical, battery powered, electric, pneumatic, or anothermeans of force.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the distal tip isgenerally bullet shaped.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the distaltip is generally flat.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the distal tipcomprises at least one rasping surface configured to decorticate bone.10. The method of claim 9, wherein the surface configured to decorticatebone extends proximally of the at least one opening.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the distal tip is removably coupled to the distal endof the elongate tube.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the distal tipis made of a radiopaque material.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein thedistal tip comprises one or more radiopaque markers.
 14. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the distal tip comprises a blunt end.
 15. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the distal tip is positioned at a distal end of theelongate tube when the distal tip is removably coupled to the bone graftdelivery device.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the distal tipcomprises a single monolithically formed piece.
 17. The method of claim1, wherein the distal tip is made of metal.
 18. The method of claim 1,wherein the distal tip is made of a durable medical plastic.
 19. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the distal tip is made of a compositematerial.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein the elongate tube iscurved.